Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Short and to the point 3

By Aaron Sullivan. Wolvserpent have a new album out. The two piece band consisting of Blake Green (guitar, vocals) and Brittany McConnell (drums, violin) released a one song E.P. entitled Aporia​:​Kāla​:​Ananta.

By Aaron Sullivan.

Wolvserpent have a new album out. The two piece band consisting of Blake Green (guitar, vocals) and Brittany McConnell (drums, violin) released a one song E.P. entitled Aporia​:​Kāla​:​Ananta.

Their last album Perigaea Antahkarana is among my favorite albums all time. The unique ability to combine DOOM, Classical, Drone, and Ambient is unlike any other band I know of. They are like a darker Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The song balances between sounding epic and still retaining a touch of rawness about it. They combine beauty and darkness seamlessly. This band never ceases to amaze.

James Brown III can not be stopped. He is constantly producing amazing music through many different entities and genres on his Rising Beast label. Well add another, Vorpal Sword.

The common thread through all his endeavors is experimentation. Never standing in one place for too long. Vorpal Sword's first album, 10,000 Stab Wounds, can be best described as a mix of noise and Punky Black Metal. The static is right up front, a wall of it if you like. Behind it is punky blackened riffs and vocals so deep in the mix they too become noise at some points. This music is in your face and unapologetic.

Then comes the new Vorpal Sword album, Pain. A 15 minute track that when it starts sounds like we are going down the same road. But as I said before, he is never standing one place for too long. Instead it goes into a what is a DSBM song drenched in staticy noise. Within the 15 minute track it shifts quite a bit. I get the sense it could have been divided into many songs but was made as one continuous track for a reason, and it works. From the opening it varies to noise/power electronic interludes, punky black metal, and back to more atmospheric Black Metal.

With Vorpal Sword he once again shows his versatility as an artist. Where he will go next I don’t know. But I know it will be interesting.

Not sure what it is, but for me, when I see a band is from Germany, even more so one that that plays the darker side of metal, I know I’m in for a treat. Germany rarely lets me down, and Dolch only further prove what I have found to be true.

They play a mix of dark gothy post punk with touches of ambient. Reminding me of Urfaust and Vindensång at times. Slow repetitive riffing, almost drone like. Heavy with mood and creating great atmosphere. The vocals are a clean female style. They add an ethereal quality to the darkness that only furthers the atmosphere. I was hooked at first listen. A very exciting new band I hope to hear more from.

Unlike Germany Italy is the opposite for me. Not a knock on the quality of the music coming from that country but rather I have not heard anything that I enjoy. But Phobonoid's self titled album is working very hard to change that. A concept album highly influenced by sci-fi, with a written prologue on the Bandcamp page:

"Distant flames, overlapping in the cloud of time.
The Alpha Centauri army moves towards the Solar System.
The will to power darkens the smell of putrefaction.
The Satellites Alliance must defend its territory, Phobos will have to embrace his weapons again.
Winning today to get lost tomorrow. Does it really matter?
Under the pall of mummified bodies lies the answer."

Phobonoid is one man band project of Lord Phobos. He mixes DOOM with Black Metal and hints of Industrial, along with ambient type instrumentals throughout the album. His raspy screams right in the middle of the mix. The music is dark and cold much like the outer space it takes place in.

From England comes black metal merchants Terra. There is a touch of mystery to them. The album is untitled, the songs merely numbered, no lyrics are given, they give only their first names and the cover is the dark void of space. But that only helps to draw focus to the music, and it’s a doozy.

They do such a great job of sounding raw and epic at the same time. Great atmosphere throughout. Spare use of vocals, it’s almost as if they are an instrumental band. At times I get a Wolves In The Throne Room vibe and other times I’m reminded of Altar of Plagues. Songs never stay on the same riff throughout a song. They shift constantly but it always feels natural not jarring at all. This was a favorite of mine from 2015. A very promising band.